Letters to the editor 10/3

Tea Party brings in manufactured crises

The third annual Tea Party silly season has arrived. Phony scandals season has waned and, with a chill in the air, phony crises season has commenced. Fights over a continuing resolution funding government spending, and of course, their favorite - extending the debt ceiling - lie ahead. What's new is a gimmick where they attach a non-germane amendment to the continuing resolution that would defund the Affordable Care Act. This has led to the shutting down of the government and later could lead to the U.S. defaulting on its debt obligations to its own citizens.

The consequences of these actions would be devastating. We know because they've threatened it twice before and both times we faced needless worry and inconvenience. Investment losses, financial markets' instability and threats to our economic recovery occurred. Through their abhorrence of compromise these so-called Republicans brought the nation into two manufactured crises. They claim to get their ideas and inspiration from their concerned and savvy base.

In looking for this base, head straight to the basement - the Louisiana Republican Party.

In a September Public Policy poll 29 percent of Louisiana Republicans blamed President Obama for the failed government response to Hurricane Katrina. Though not sure, another 40 percent thought it could have been Obama. Their state, their historic disaster, their outrage - at the wrong president! So much for their concerned and savvy base.

Someday intelligent adults will restore common sense to this party but until then, find your sweaters. It's getting chilly out there.

Gerald Browne

Fishkill

Elected officials serve only party's interests

Our government is completely broken and there is little to nothing that anyone wants to do about it. There was a time when elected officials ran on a specific party line based on various platforms, not just the party line. Once these officials took office they listened to their constituents, researched and then voted on an issue as they saw fit. This has become fiction.

Our present day elected officials run on the party line, forget the issues and continue to vote according to the party. This is a travesty. An example would be U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer. He is a Democrat: no matter what issue comes up, he votes with the Democrats. So, if you are a Republican, you stand no chance of having your voice heard. The opposite is also true if you are a Democrat in a Republican district. Why bother to even have any votes in Congress on anything anymore? Count the numbers of Republican/Democrats in each house and that is the result of the vote.

There is no bipartisanship anymore. Our elected officials have resorted to name calling, making allegations about the other party and lying. The biggest offender is the one that lives in the White House. He threatens, with his office, outcomes that they can expect if his wishes are denied. He is a racist who controls the media and the only light at the end of this tunnel appears to be 2016.

God, give us the tenacity to hang in there until then.

Margo Ramsey

Poughkeepsie

Open Space plan not without consequences

The Pleasant Valley Town Board will soon decide whether to adopt the open space plan. The Open Space and Farmland Preservation concept is appealing, but we must be aware of future consequences to both the property owners and local taxpayers.

If a farmer or large-scale landowner agrees to a conservation easement with a land trust, the trust can annually inspect the property for violations. The land trust determines if there's a violation. If the landowner sells his property or passes it on to heirs, the land trust can inspect and hold the new owners responsible for violations. These violations could include putting up or removing a fence, cutting a tree, changing a roadway or path on the property, adding or removing a shed or building, etc.

The Open Space Institute's commitment states, "When OSI accepts a conservation easement, it assumes a perpetual obligation to monitor, enforce and ensure that the land is conserved according to the terms of the easement. . . . OSI staff also monitors the property annually, sometimes using aerial equipment, to ensure that the conditions of the property have not been impermissibly altered. If a violation is identified, OSI must pursue enforcement and seek to have the violation cured, potentially resorting to legal means."

Are you comfortable with that arrangement?

Financing this plan in Pleasant Valley could also be accomplished through local municipal bonds and/or an annual fee per household. Are you willing to bear the financial burden?

Preserving open space and farmland is a good idea, but at what cost?

Sharon Johnson

Pleasant Valley

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Letters to the editor 10/3

The third annual Tea Party silly season has arrived. Phony scandals season has waned and, with a chill in the air, phony crises season has commenced.